Missing IX
by M.M.Richter-XIII
Summary: What happens when following your heart ... leads you in the wrong direction! Please R&R. Even if you bash it, at least you read it. This story is currently under reconstruction.
1. Prologue

The Missing IX

The nine of them always knew they were different; you could almost tell by just looking at them. They knew it too, but it didn't faze them much. It was one of the reasons they were such good friends, one of the ties that bound them. In any situation or circumstance, they were semper fi, always faithful, to one another, sincerely promising they'd always be good friends no matter what happened. Though they were young, all of them had strong hearts, only made stronger by their friendship. Then, on a fateful night darker than most, they all lost their hearts. However, even in this experience, their bond and promise held true, with their nobodies being 'created' and discovered at almost the exact time; Just as they lost their hearts together, their Nobodies emerged together, their memories, minds, and friendship intact. Immediately and inevitably, they drew the attention of another group of nobodies, a group that called themselves "The Organization".

The 'Organization' was still in its infancy at the time, being comprised of only the founding six members, and needed more members in order for their plans to succeed. Very quickly, they took notice these strong, younger Nobodies and offered the nine a proposition. Although hesitant at first, after seeing the 'organization' already had a plan in place and with promise of their hearts' return, the nine joined them. Immediately, the 'Organization' taught them the use and how to summon 'dark corridors' for travel, and began sending them on missions. Eventually, they were given new attire, titles, and even new names, although they still referred to each other by their original names. Over time, they collectively figured that the best way to regain their hearts was to find a person with the power and knowledge to summon their hearts from the Dark Realm and get them to help, one way or another. The 'Organization' quickly got wind of the nine's intentions, but held off confronting them as long as the nine continued to go on missions. Eventually, the nine realized that their use of the 'dark corridors' was chipping away at whatever humanity they had left and thusly the bond between them. As a result, they refused to use them, driving a considerable wedge between them and the 'Organization' and causing the 'organization' to begin looking for new members again. Then, as more members were recruited, the decision was made by the Original VI to break the nine up, and pair them up with newer members. The nine refused this as well, driving the wedge between them and the 'organization' even further.

Finally, the nine's search for someone powerful enough to summon their hearts uncovered a name: Maleficent, a witch who they came to find out was ultimately responsible the loss of their hearts in the first place. With knowledge in hand and the decision to search for her made up in their minds, all nine of them disbanded from the 'organization', and, just before 'The Melodious Nocturne' was recruited, disappeared completely. Their whereabouts are currently unknown to anyone but themselves, and they have since referred to by the 'organization' as 'The Missing IX': Xima, whose original name is Ami and whose title was "The Independent Shadow"; Xelta, whose original name is Tael and whose title was "The Phantasmal Puppeteer"; Maxell, whose original name is Malel and whose title was "The Hypnotic Strategist"; Rexal, whose original name is Elar and whose title was "The Dynamic Guardian"; Kavex, whose original name is Vake and whose title was "The Sonic Stoic"; Xorna, whose original name is Aron and whose title was "The Nova Scion"; Xorek, whose original name is Roek and whose title was "The Longsuffering Metallic"; Trixis, whose original name is Trisi and whose title was "The Altruistic Naturalist"; and Karadex, whose original name is Dekara or just Kar to his friends and whose title was "The Joyous Paramour". The Missing IX has largely remained in the shadows, endlessly searching for the one person who can restore them, until just recently when their search finally came fruition.


	2. Heartfelt of Heartbroken

OK, here is chapter 2; we're going to get into the story now. As always, rant, rave review.

Missing IX: All of Nothing: Heartfelt or Heartbroken

The Missing IX had stopped in Twilight Town, perched on the flat roof of a building overlooking the sandlot. This was where they regularly stopped to discuss, go over certain matters, or just rest. As usual, they took their usual spots in preparation for their latest discussion: Kavex stood on the front right corner, facing the sandlot, his back to the others. With his abilities regarding sound, he normally acted as a lookout, especially since he rarely spoke during these discussions, trusting his friends' decisions and never complaining about what they asked him to do. Xima stood almost in the exact middle, her back to the sandlot. Rexal stood behind Xima facing the right side of the building. Trixis and Karadex sat right next to each other on the back side of the building. Xorna and Xorek stood to the far right and far left sides of the building, respectively. Maxell sat on the back right corner, and Xelta sat on the back left corner.

These positions were not so much assigned as they were just the most comfortable and natural for them. However, on this particular occasion, they knew it may be the final time they would gather on that building. They had stopped not only to rest, but also to discuss the completed search that they almost deemed impossible and the massive undertaking that they were would have to set in motion in order to get what they had lost.

Xima, although she never forced it upon the others, just naturally took the lead on many of the things they did by motivating the group, figuring out which 'assignment' fit which person, and generally figuring out the best course of action. Xima started the discussion saying, "Well, after all this time and searching we've finally found...her."

Maxell, the cautious one always making sure that every possibility was considered, then responded, "Yes, but where we found her concerns me. Does it mean that the other XIII are... gone.?"

Xelta then answered, "Yes. The 'feeling' has been faint for a while, but recently it has gotten too strong to ignore. Most of the other XIII have 'departed', even no. VI."

Rexal seemed slightly upset by Xelta's last statement, and asked, "Really? No. VI is gone? What a shame. I had hope for him." Being the oldest, Rexal normally acted as a protector to the others, a trait the often expanded to include those younger than him, one of which was No. VI, the only organization member that was their age.

Xima, taking notice of something Xelta said, quickly asked, "Wait. What do you mean 'most of them'?"

Xelta quickly responded, "Well, no. XIII, in contrast to the others, has become whole again. However, we all know that he is an exception, especially with him having a human counterpart among other things."

Just as Xelta finished her statement, Karadex added, "Lucky," which Trixis responded to by elbowing him in the side. Without even having to look at her, Karadex responded with, "Sorry." Of the whole group, Karadex and Trixis were the closest pair even as Nobodies. It was always a running joke among the group that the two of them would end up married, which only grew more relevant and, thusly, funnier after the two shared gifts one day for no apparent reason other than to show that they were thinking of each other. Both of them still wore these gifts, a band ring for Karadex and a heart-shaped locket for Trixis, as nobodies.

Xima then continued, "In any case, the fact still remains. Our time to act is here. We have finally found her."

Karadex then chimed in again, adding, "Thank Goodness. I mean, think about this for a minute. We disband from the other XIII only to get to her stronghold and find out that she'd been defeated already. We then go on a one-year-search for someone else only to find out that she has returned. We then run ourselves ragged looking, but can't find her anywhere. Finally, we figure it's hopeless and decide to go back to the XIII , only to find, wait for it... the one person we'd looking for all this time camped out in their stronghold. Honestly, rollercoasters have had smoother journeys than us. I guess I, of all people should appreciate the comedic irony, because we've been getting ridiculous amounts of it lately."

There was a brief moment of silence between them, no one saying a thing, until finally, the other eight burst into laughter. From behind the guise of his hood, Karadex shed a smile. Karadex liked to keep things from getting too 'heavy', and truly enjoyed making his friends laugh, a feat that was becoming harder with them all, in the absence of their hearts, having to force themselves to laugh at things they found funny.

As they all slowly stopped laughing, Rexal then said, "Still, I can't help feeling that we were... I don't know, sloppy. I mean, to find her there of all places. I just can't fathom how we missed a detail that size."

Maxell reassuringly responded, "Don't worry about it. The probability of her ending up there is extremely low. I doubt we could've guessed it, but the fact remains that she has the stronghold , which means that if we are to succeed in our plans, we must act quickly. I ,as I'm sure you all as well, have sensed her activity. Her army is growing as we speak."

Xorek then added, "Yes, but there are still things we have not considered. What about her right hand? And this no. XIV we've heard about?" Xorek never liked to rush into things, but he was also somewhat of a pessimist, sometimes causing his friends to have to convince him.

Xelta then responded, "Well, we know absolutely nothing about this no. XIV. We don't know who she is, where she is, what she can do, what her intentions are, or what she's doing now. We don't even know if she's still around; I can't even sense her. She's as much a mystery as... well, we are. As for, "Captain" Pete, her right hand..."

Rexal, finishing Xelta's sentence, added as if on cue, "He's not even a concern." Rexal ,being the first to fight most of the time, also had a keen sense of who could be a potential enemy and what danger that enemy could pose. He then continued saying, "His one-track mind and low intelligence make him very vulnerable. He would probably try to turn us into heartless before realizing that we... you know. Also, he relies on brute strength, but doesn't have much of it. I doubt he could beat any of us."

Xorek, although satisfied with the answers, then asked, "Alright but how are we actually going to dethrone her?"

Xorna quickly responded to her brother, saying, "What do you mean how? All of us together could bring her down. I understand that her power has grown since being in the twilight realm, but we're sure to defeat her if we're together." As almost a balance to her brother, Xorek, Xorna was a little hasty when it came to the group's actions, sincerely believing that together, they could do anything, no questions asked. She also was an optimist, often convincing Xorek of things and to be more trusting.

Maxell then responded, saying, "Maybe, but, then again, maybe not. True, we know her power has grown, but we don't know by how much. Her original power limit was undefined to us before she got control of the stronghold. She is extremely close to the Dark Realm; her power has probably spiked in the time she's been there. Also, there's something else that stands in our way. If we do get the best of her, I feel that...we cannot...truly defeat her because..."

Xelta, sensing Maxell's trouble finding adequate words, finished his sentence saying, "We are physically unable to do so in our current state. We are twilight, neither light nor dark. But to defeat a darkness as strong as the one she possesses, we need light of the purest quality, a light that is just beyond us now, that we simply just cannot reach."

Trixis, seemingly upset by this last statement, then responded, "But we must defeat her. We must, not only for our sakes, but also for the countless others who will lose their hearts if her plans succeed." Trixis, being deeply altruistic even as a nobody, often acted in this way as the conscience of the group, putting the needs of others above even her own.

Xima, understanding Trixis' 'feeling' and, like the others, sharing the sentiment, then said, "That's exactly right. That's why we need ... them."

Hearing this, almost all of them snapped to attention, and Xorek spoke first, saying, "Them? No. You don't mean..."

Before Xorek could finish, Xima replied, "Yes, I mean them: The Dark Denizen, The Heart Princess, and, of course, The Keyblade Hero."

Karadex quickly responded, "Are you kidding? Do you think he is going to help us?"

Xima calmly responded, "It's the only way. Only those three have the light necessary to defeat her."

Xorna, agreeing with Xima and ever the optimist, then added, "Right. Besides, this involves him too. I 'm sure if we explain..."

Xorek then interjected, "Don't be naive. The second he sees us and these coats, he'll attack. He'll wipe us out before we can even get a word in."

Karadex then added, "Yeah, and, on top of that, he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. I mean, he is the genius who gave her the castle in the first place."

Trixis then responded by again elbowing Karadex in the side and then saying, "But we must do... something. We can't just let her win. Her army is almost complete; we don't have much time left. We must act now."

Xelta then spoke saying, "I agree with Aron, Malel, Trisi, and Ami. We don't have time to waste, and there's no way around it. We must involve them."

Xima then said, "If this is to work, we have to lead them in the right direction without being detected."

Maxell then said in hopes that everything would be thought out, "Well, I'm in for the plan, but what if they don't understand what we're telling them? Also, we're probably going to have to go to separate worlds, so how are we going to stay in contact?"

Xima paused for a moment, and then finally answered, "Well, his majesty, the court mage, and the court knight will probably be with them, so all six of them together should get it. If no one else, the Heart Princess should understand, and, if none of them catch on, then we're in bigger trouble than we thought."

Xelta then added, "As for communication, I'll take care of that." She then raised her hands, one-by-one raised nine fingers, each having a string appear, tie around it and shot off into nothing, and one-by-one each of the member's right arms shook. This caused the other eight to lift their right arms, and push back their right sleeves, revealing metal braces that resembled spider webs, each bearing a symbol signifying which one of them it belonged to.

As the eight of them dropped their sleeves and arms, Xelta explained, "These are what I like to call 'lifelines'. They connect us at all times. If one of us in trouble, they just have to touch the emblem to signal the rest of us. But we can't really speak to each other through them, so I'll probably deal with communication between us."

Karadex began rubbing the ring on his left ring finger with his thumb as he let out an acceptant sigh, and said, "Well, count me in. So, what's our course of action, Captain?"

Xima took a deep breath, and laid out the guidelines, saying, "Well, obviously, we must do our best to keep 'sightings' of us down. Try to stay in groups as often as possible. Contain any major heartless until the Light Heroes arrive. Assist if possible; intervene if we absolutely must. We must help them get in a position to control the army's flow into the worlds. And we must never, ever encounter them."

Xorek then asked, "But what if they corner us? What if we have no other choice?"

The group fell silent, the mood growing more anxious, each of them growing more nervous at the very thought of Xorek's statement.

Finally, Xima let out a sigh, and responded, "Well, if that happens, escape if you can. If you can't, send the signal and defend yourself until someone can get to you. Engage, but don't destroy them. If they...defeat you..."

The words seemed to get caught in Xima's throat as she tried to force the thought out although she didn't even want to think it. Trixis seemed to reflect the uneasiness in the group over the subject as she clutched the heart -shaped locket around her neck, her way of expressing anxiety.

Xima finally continued, "Try to hold on for as long as possible. I'll rush to you as fast as I can. Xelta or I should get to you in no time."

Xelta then added, "When I get to you, I will seal you in a temporary vessel. It will keep you from ... fading while you heal."

Xima then said, "Well, it's now or never, guys. It's time to get our hearts back. Are you all ready? Because the time is upon us."

Xima then extended her hand with its back skyward, and Kavex, without even saying a word as always, immediately jumped down from the ledge, and put his hand on top of Xima's. Rexal followed, then Xelta, Xorna, Trixis, Karadex, Maxell, and finally Xorek. They were in agreement, their minds as one. Suddenly, Kavex's head snapped to the side, indicating that he heard something and putting the others on notice.

Xima quickly asked, "What is it? What did you hear?"

Kavex, still focusing on the sound, responded, "Footsteps. Coming toward the Sandlot. Three pairs of them, human. Two males and one female."

All nine of them felt a chill run down their backs, and Karadex asked for all of them saying, "Is it ...them?"

Kavex concentrated for a moment and responded, "I don't know. They're not speaking, so I can't tell by their voices."

Xima, thinking quickly, said, " Better safe than sorry. We'll have to talk assignments later, but let's get out of here first."

Xima then raised her free hand in the air, summoning a large shadow that spread over and covered them like a veil. The shadow then 'flattened' onto the ground, sped along the roof, down the side of the building, and into the underground concourse just as Seifer, Rai and Fuu entered the sandlot.

_**A/N:**_ **That was chapter 2. As I said, I'm reformatting the chapters so they're easier to read. Hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R. Next, I hope to put a smile on your face in the next chapter.**


	3. Early Discovery

_Chapter 3 is done. As always, Rant, Rave, and Review_

Missing IX chapter 3: Early Discovery

Sora, Riku, and Kairi had grown into even better friends since they'd been back; they had become just as inseparable as they were before if not more so. Because of the new open pathways, all three had traveled countless times to other worlds with Sora visiting old friends, and Riku and Kairi making new ones. Because of the close proximity of their worlds, the three of them had especially frequented Radiant Garden and Twilight Town. Riku had become good friends with Leon, and started a rivalry with Seifer; meanwhile, Kairi had become good friends with Yuffie, Aerith, and the Gullwings. In short, everything was great. Strength wise, Sora and Riku were as sharp as ever. Sora maintained his great strength, and Riku had gained supreme control over darkness without any signs of 'Ansem' (Xehanort's heartless).

As for Kairi, she probably had grown the most of all of them. Hoping not to become a burden, she asked Donald to teach her magic, and, to no one's surprise but her own, proved she had a real knack for it. Over a relatively short amount of time, thanks to training from Merlin and several lessons from Yen Sid, Kairi mastered all the magic spells including several ones that Sora and Donald didn't know. As gifts, Donald gave her a special rod with a red, crystal magic orb at its tip, and Queen Minnie had a ring similar to her own forged especially for Kairi to enhance Kairi's magic power. Kairi treasured these gifts as symbols of her hard work, and began to carry the red crystal rod and wear the ring everywhere with her.

In spite of this, the three didn't really have to use their new strength; the heartless, for the most part, had disappeared, and, perhaps consequently, the Nobodies were gone as well. The realm of light was in utter peace... until this day. The three had rushed to Disney Castle after getting a frantic, urgent summon from Queen Minnie. There was trouble, big trouble.

As they were getting off the Gummi Ship, Sora, Riku, and Kairi felt something was wrong; Riku could even smell the darkness around.

"Do you two feel that," asked Riku, feeling the darkness on the outside, waiting.

Sora and Kairi simultaneously said, "Yeah," and then Sora inquired, "But how did they get here?"

Riku and Kairi grew confused by what Sora said, prompting Kairi to ask, "What do you mean, Sora?"

Realizing that they may not know, Sora explained, "There's a special light source here called the Cornerstone of Light that keeps Heartless out of the castle. There shouldn't be _any_ heartless here, but it feels like more than just a few are here. Let's go. We have to hurry before the castle gets worse."

Sora, Riku, and Kairi quickly exited the Gummi Ship Hangar only to run into a full heartless invasion. Not only Shadows and Soldiers but Neoshadows and Large Bodies had appeared at the castle, and in large numbers. For the first time in awhile, the three had to fight, but Sora and Riku hadn't skipped a beat and Kairi's training really showed.

Riku easily dispatched of several soldiers before turning and charging for two large bodies. Seeing him coming, both Large Bodies jumped and stomped the ground, causing a large shockwave.

Riku jumped over the shockwave with ease as he said, "Is that all you got,' and, in mid-air, hit them both with a Dark Fireball, defeating them and releasing the hearts held captive within them.

Kairi saw the shadows and neoshadows crawling underneath the ground and coming for her from all directions.

"Come on. Just a little closer," she said almost inaudibly, waiting for just the right moment.

Then, just as the heartless got in range, Kairi spun her rod, pointed the tip to the ground, and forcefully said, "Quake!"

With that Earth spell, Kairi caused a massive upheaval of rock all around her, destroying the shadows and neoshadows and releasing the hearts held captive within them.

Sora, just as he'd always done, skillfully swung his keyblade, defeating heartless with each swing, and ended with a well-timed 'Explosion' attack just as more heartless were closing in.

"Sora, where would Queen Minnie be," asked Kairi, hoping they would leave before more heartless arrived.

Sora responded saying, "In the Hall of the Cornerstone. I know where it is; let's go!"

With that, Sora sprinted off with Riku and Kairi right behind him.

They made their way to the Audience Chamber, quickly defeating any heartless on the way, and came to the entrance to the Hall of the Cornerstone, which was still open. The three rushed down the steps, and found Chip, Dale, Daisy, and Queen Minnie, who were safe thanks to the Cornerstone's Light. Queen Minnie told them that The King had come back from a trip, but had left shortly thereafter with Donald and Goofy. He also left a package for Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and asked her to give it to them when they arrived. But, just as Queen Minnie was about to give them the package, the whole castle seemed to shake from something.

Riku then said, "That felt really close. We'd better take care of whatever it is."

Kairi nodded her head in agreement, and Sora said, "Yeah; Your Majesty, you and everyone else should stay here; we'll take care of whatever it is."

Queen Minnie and the others nodded in agreement, and, with that, Sora, Riku, and Kairi rushed up the stairs to the Audience Chamber.

Immediately, they could feel the floor shaking from something huge approaching, quickly closed the entrance to the Cornerstone of Light. As the sounds got louder, Sora and Riku summoned their Keyblades, and Kairi firmly grasped her wand, all three preparing for a fight. Then, the pounding stopped, and the large doors cracked slightly with the sound of something like a low growl. After a moment, the doors shut again, and an eerie silence crept over the large room. Suddenly, the doors flung open violently as a very large heartless barreled in that, upon seeing them, let out a mighty ROAR! Standing before Riku, Kairi, and Sora was the Feral Claw, a large cat- like heartless that had two long tails and was about the size of Cerberus.

Just as the battle was beginning, Trixis arrived at the castle, emerging from her 'independent shadow'. 'Independent Shadows' were transportation created by Xima that allowed them to travel to different worlds through the 'Light' corridors 

without being seen, but they could only travel for certain amounts of time every 30 minutes. Trixis had come to see if the Light Heroes had arrived, and, when she heard the battle going on, eagerly perched herself on a nearby window to get a better look, and, partly, to see Sora, Kairi, and Riku in action.

Meanwhile, the battle was intense between the Light heroes and the Feral Claw. Sora and Riku were initially taken aback because most heartless this size were slow and sluggish; The Feral Claw, however, was quick, agile, and very adept at dodging, an incredible ability for a monster its size. In addition to its powerful charges and furious slashes, after getting hit repeatedly, the Feral Claw would start to rampage, leaping around the room, running on the walls, charging and slashing at them as it went by before slumping down briefly with fatigue. Finally, after minutes of furious fighting, the Feral Claw seemed to severely weakened, but the Light Heroes were tired as well. Then, in almost a desperate rage, the Feral Claw made a furious charge at them. Sora and Riku quickly jumped out of the way, but, to their surprise, Kairi began to run towards it.

"Kairi, no," they yelled simultaneously as it seemed that she and the heartless would collide.

Then, just at the right moment, Kairi jumped toward the Feral Claw, pointed her staff to the ground between them, and forcefully said, "Deep Freeze!" covering the ground with ice.

Just as she planned, the Feral Claw slipped, slammed hard into the ground, and began to slide across the floor, allowing her to step onto its head and catapult herself into the air. As the Feral Claw continued to slide, Kairi began to turn back toward it in mid-air while forming a large ball of light similar to the King and Queen's 'Pearl' attack in her free hand.

Then, as the Feral Claw crashed into the wall, Kairi powerfully said, "Light!", and shot the ball at the Heartless, hitting it right in its side.

The giant heartless let out a last feeble roar as it faded away, releasing the heart held captive within it, as Kairi landed safely.

"Kairi, that was amazing," yelled Sora as he and Riku ran to her, and Riku added, "Yeah. Who taught you that?"

Kairi turned to them with a smile on her face, and replied, "You two taught me. I've seen you both do it hundreds of times."

Just as she said that, Queen Minnie and the others exited the Hall of the Cornerstone and the Queen immediately expressed her gratitude and handed them the King's package for them; it contained a single cell phone and a letter from Radiant Garden that read:

_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,  
First of all, we're happy to tell you that Cloud has finally returned safely, and intends to stay. Tifa is with him as well, and she wants to stay too, to 'keep Cloud in check', whatever that means. Anyway, we're contacting you to give you something to help you on your next journey. The king has already come to us and gone, saying that there's something wrong with the worlds, and that he, Donald, and Goofy are looking into it. In the meantime, he requested that you three try to keep the heartless at bay, at least until the root of all this can be found. We wanted to do our part to help, so we have something for you. The phone you have is from Tifa and Cloud; Cid has modified it to pick up calls between worlds. It should help you keep up with the heartless outbreaks in other worlds. We will try to keep things quiet here, but we'll call you if anything comes up. Good luck and we're rooting for you. _

_Signed,  
Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, Merlin, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, Cloud, and Tifa_

Midway through the letter, Riku began to pick up a familiar scent, one that he hadn't smelled in a long time.

"Riku," Kairi called, noticing that Riku not paying attention, and Sora, now finished reading and noticing the same thing, added, "Riku, what are you..."

Riku, still concentrating on the 'scent' quickly held up his hand, signaling them to keep quiet, and said with almost a whisper, "Hold on. Stay still."

Trixis, who was enraptured by the Light Heroes fight, could only stand in awe on the high windowsill as they went through their package, but she noticed that the three of them looked nervous for a moment about something. Suddenly, Riku turned and shot a Dark Fireball at the window Trixis was standing in. Fortunately for her, Trixis moved in time to dodge the attack, but the force of the impact still knocked her off the ledge. Thinking quickly, Trixis extended vines from inside her sleeve, wrapping them around a nearby pillar, which slowed her descent enough for her to land safely. Realizing that she'd been spotted and knowing that her independent shadow wasn't ready Trixis began running, trying to get away.

"Come on," said Riku, as he began sprinting out of the Audience Chamber with Sora and Kairi right behind him.

As they continued to give chase, Kairi finally asked, "What are we chasing," and Sora added, "Yeah, Riku. What did you see?"

Without turning around, Riku said, "It's not really what I saw, but what I 'smelled'. I recognize it from Castle Oblivion."

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, lost to what it could be, and Kairi asked, "Really? What is it?"

Riku simply shook his head and replied, "Let's just hope it's not what I think it is."

Trixis ran into and through the castle gardens, weaving through the large collection of huge hedge sculptures and repeatedly tapping the symbol on her 'lifeline' until she crossed a large clearing with a very large wall at the end. The wall was extremely smooth with no plants on it to climb; it was a dead-end. Just as Trixis realized how trapped she was and while she tried to catch her breath, Sora , Riku, and Kairi arrived as if on cue, causing Trixis to slowly turn to face them.

Immediately after seeing the familiar black coat and face hidden in the hood, all three stopped running, and simultaneously said with a combination of shock, dread, and confusion, "The Organization?!"

Hoping to clear up any confusion and half-hoping but not really expecting that it would stop them from attacking her, Trixis quickly replied, "Wait, wait, wait before you assume anything. Sure, I am a Nobody, but I assure that I am not of Organization XIII."

Although Kairi slightly thought she sounded sincere, Riku and Sora didn't buy it.

Riku first sarcastically replied, "Right," and then said, "Sora, the King said something was off, and you were wondering how heartless got here. I think we just found the reason for both."

Trixis, realizing that the situation was getting out of hand, pressed her back to the wall as she said, "Hey, I didn't bring that monster here. I don't even know how to summon heartless."

Sora and Riku grew more distrusting with this statement and more impatient, which lead Sora to say, "Yeah, right. Enough lies. What are you planning, Nobody?"

Trixis almost snapped back at Sora's speech toward her, saying, "First off, I have a name," but quickly seemed to grow reluctant, hesitant, and almost nervous as she said, "Second, I can't tell you our plans just yet, but, judging from how you talk, you probably wouldn't believe me anyway."

Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked at each other as they were confused by what she said. Not sure whether it was fact or fiction, Riku and Sora summoned their keyblades and got in fighting position shortly followed by Kairi, who still couldn't figure out this new Nobody or how she herself felt about her.

After the three of them were ready to fight, Sora threatened Trixis saying, "Well, whatever you're planning, I guess we'll just have to make you tell us what it is."

Trixis, realizing that she might _die_, nervously grabbed her locket with one hand, and said in almost a fearful tone, "Ho...Hold on. I don't want to fight you. I mean no harm. I'm begging you. Please, don't do this."

With her posture, manner, and highly anxious voice, Trixis truly seemed afraid, and Kairi definitely thought it couldn't all be an act.

Sora then said in almost a whisper, "Riku, are you ready," which Riku responded to with a quick whisper, "Yeah."

Realizing what they were about to do, Kairi urged them saying, "Wait a minute, guys. All of that can't be an act; she really seems scared."

Riku, trying to reassure her, replied in almost a whisper, "Don't believe her, Kairi. It's all a trick," and Sora added, "Yeah. She's a Nobody; she can't feel anything."

Sora and Riku quickly began to charge at Trixis, who seemed to brace herself against the wall.

"No! Please don't," said Trixis in a feeble tone as she began to clutch her locket with both hands.

As they got closer, Trixis dropped her head, and said in a whisper almost as if calling out, "Kar."

Suddenly, Riku stopped, and called out, "Sora, wait," but Sora kept running.

At a certain point, Sora jumped high in the air, readying to rain down blows, and Trixis looked away, bracing her for what was coming. Then, CLANG! In a moment so quick that Sora didn't even see it, a second Nobody, Xima, arrived just in time, and deflected Sora's attack, sending Sora floating in mid-air defenselessly. Then, in a moment just as quick as the last one, Xima quickly spun, and kicked Sora backward next to Riku before Sora even seemed to get closer to the ground. As Riku and Kairi ran over to Sora to help him up, seven more Nobodies appeared out of seemingly out of nowhere, and one, Karadex, quickly turned his attention to the first, Trixis; he immediately embraced her around her shoulders as she seemed to relax in relief. Sora, Riku, and Kairi never thought they'd see another hooded Nobody again; let alone a group of this many, so, even though they were outnumbered, they firmly grasped their weapons, ready to fight.

Seeing the heroes' anticipation, Xima, hoping to somehow salvage the situation, quickly said in a mellow tone, "Have no fear; you can stand down. Just like our friend said, we have no intention of fighting you."

Riku, still cynical towards them, replied, "Of course not; you need us to do your dirty work," and Sora, who was just as cynical, added, "What are you all planning? Are you still trying to control Kingdom Hearts?"

The nine looked at each other while they shrugged their shoulders, all of them seemingly confused by Sora's question.

Xima finally replied, "Uh...no. But be patient. We can't tell you what we're doing. At least, not yet."

Sora and Riku only grew more impatient with Sora saying sarcastically, "Oh, really," but Kairi, not convinced as Sora and Riku about these' Nobodies' malice, asked, "You say you mean us no harm, but, if we're supposed to trust you, why are you hiding so much? Why won't you tell us anything?"

Xima responded quicker than expected saying, "Judging from the amount of heartless here, she is probably watching, listening. But we assure you; we are not your enemy. Just keep fighting the heartless; the Fate of the Worlds (and us) depend on it"

Just as she finished that sentence, a large shadow appeared on the wall behind them, and, one by one, each of them backed 'into' the shadow, disappearing as they 'entered' it. Once all of them were 'inside', the shadow swirled in place on the wall and gradually shrunk until it was gone. Sora, Riku, and Kairi stood completely still for a moment, not sure what just happened, and eventually went back to a relaxed position although all three of them still looked at the wall.

Finally, Riku broke the silence by asking, "Did you guys believe any of that," which Sora quickly responded, saying, "Not a word."

Riku was silent for a moment, but quickly responded, "Me neither."

Kairi wasn't as sure as Riku and Sora, which they both could tell by the look on her face.

Noticing them looking at her, Kairi finally responded, "I don't know, guys. I know they're Nobodies, but...they seem different. At least, they sounded like they were telling the truth."

Sora responded saying, "Kairi, the Organization sounded the same way, but we know how that turned out. No, those nobodies are who we have to fight."

Sora turned around as he said, "Let's go; we have to start looking for their stronghold."

With that, Sora and Riku began heading for the Gummi Ship Hangar, but Kairi couldn't get herself to move. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was off about these Nobodies or about the whole situation for that matter. Eventually, after Sora and Riku called her, Kairi put the thought in the back of her mind, and joined them.

_**A/M: Chapter 3 is done. Hope it wasn't too long. The search of the Missing IX is now on. Hope you enjoyed it and will stay with me. Please R&R. **_


	4. Missing no IX 'found': Shattered Smile

_Now, we go on to chapter 4. Like before, Rant, Rave, Review._

Missing IX chapter 4- Missing no. IX found: Shattered Smile

Sora, Riku, and Kairi's journey was already well underway; they had already been to new and old worlds, defeating heartless, and looking for the Missing IX and their hideaway. Soon after completing the first ring of worlds, they were contacted by phone by Tron, who had found something interesting; he found a 'link' to a new set of digital worlds that sat inside a connected hard drive named 'Raxip'. It seemed that these worlds were under heavy heartless attack as well, meaning that the three of them would have to go in and clear them out. So, using the 'link' and a 'digital copy' of their gummi ship, they reached the first digital world: Suburbia.

Immediately, they realized that this world was very different; the case was that either this world was very large or they were very small because when they landed, they found out that what they initially thought was soft ground turned out to be someone's bed. Sora, Riku, and Kairi fought off a group of heartless, and met the inhabitants: they were oddly shiny, smooth, and seemed familiar in a way. Sora could tell something was off about them but didn't know why, and Riku had an idea about the cause but was in disbelief about it. Then, Kairi called it out: they were toys; living, walking, talking toys. Apparently, the newest one of them, Buzz Lightyear, fell out of the window because of their owner, Andy's, 'favorite', Sheriff Woody, and now both were next door with Sid, a boy who destroys toys, and Scud, Sid's dog. So, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, per the toys' request, went to bring them both back before Andy and his family moved, which was set to happen in only a few days.

Karadex had reached Suburbia through a separate computer thanks to Maxell, and had been trailing Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Without them seeing him, he followed them across the yard into Sid's house, and even indirectly helped them find Woody and Buzz. He even helped them with the escape plan without them knowing. Often, he would fight off heartless, so the Light Heroes could help Buzz and Woody without being attacked. He even kept the heartless manageable as the other toys got in position. In one instance, Scud was about to walk in on the Light Heroes and the toys as the plan was being made, and Karadex managed to distract him; he got Scud to chase him, and then tricked Scud into running into the parent's room, trapping the dog momentarily.

Karadex was on a roll; Right after getting rid of Scud, he even celebrated in his own offbeat, humorous way by whispering to himself, "It's a home run, and the crowd goes wild, " cupped his hands around, and made a pseudo-crowd cheering as he walked away.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi managed to find Woody and Buzz, and quickly realized that the two didn't get along at all. To make matters worse, Sid's room was completely overrun with heartless, especially the floor. Then, mid-day before Andy and his family were set to move, Buzz got in what Woody called a 'flying' accident, which the three of them couldn't understand because they know toys can't fly. Anyway, after a huge heartless attack and recovering in Hannah's room (which was strangely devoid of any darkness, the three went to find buzz and woody only to find Sid happily strapping a rocket to Buzz's back, but thankfully it started to rain, delaying Buzz's liftoff ... for a while.

Very early the next morning, after Buzz and Woody patched things up with help from Sora, Riku, and Kairi; Sid woke up and took Buzz with him, presumably for liftoff. Woody, with the help of Sid's 'toys', quickly came up with a plan, and set it into action. The three planned to give back up, but since the night before, the heartless seemed strangely absent; Kairi and Riku were both suspicious of this of course, but Sora didn't seem to notice. Woody's plan worked perfectly, and all of them, Sora, Riku, and Kairi included, made it to the backyard. That's when the three saw him: Karadex was standing in the grass, watching Sid set up.

The three then broke away as Woody and the others were getting in position, and slowly crept up behind Karadex when ... CRUNCH! Sora had stepped on a dry leaf. Karadex, obviously hearing it, stood straight up, and, without even turning around, began to sprinting for the back fence with the three right behind him as he tapped the symbol on his lifeline. Then, 

when Karadex reached the fence, he stopped, realizing that the fence had no opening for him to escape through, and, just as it set in, the three caught up to him.

"Looks like you're trapped," said Riku as he and Sora summoned their key blades and Kairi took out her rod, all three ready to fight.

Karadex slowly turned around as he said, "Guess there's no way around it now," and took his hood off, revealing his face: he had hazel-brown eyes and all dark brown hair with the exception of four almost dark-blue strands that hung diagonally across his face and curved inward at the bottoms like rib bones. In actuality, based on his appearance, he was rather young, not that much older than Sora, Riku, and Kairi, much to their surprise.

Despite being trapped, Karadex produced a smile, and said, "Well, if it isn't the Light heroes."

Sora, ignoring the comment, said, "Nowhere to run, nobody."

Karadex shook his head slowly, and replied, "My, my, Sora. Such hostility, and so rude especially for a hero. My name is Karadex or Kar if you know me."

Karadex paused as he seemed to relax a bit and asked in a conversational tone, "So, to what do what do I owe this chase? I mean, I was minding my own business."

Kairi, still not sure about these nobodies, asked, "If you weren't doing anything, why did you run," and Karadex quickly replied with a smile, "Why were you sneaking up on me? You can really scare someone doing that, you know."

Riku, somewhat impatient at this point because of Karadex's attitude, then said, "The question is: why are you here," and Sora added, "Yeah. Are you here to ruin the plan?"

Karadex again quickly replied, "The Rescue? Of course not! Especially since I've been breaking my back to make sure it went off without a hitch."

Sora, Riku, and Kairi were really confused by this statement, and Karadex, seeing the looks on their faces, continued, "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you didn't notice you haven't fought any heartless since yesterday."

Sora got more confused while Riku and Kairi started to look on in disbelief with Riku asking, "You've been fighting the heartless?"  


Before Karadex could answer, Sora said, "Wait, wait a second. What are you talking about?"

Karadex chuckled and said, "Man, there really is just 10 cents up there, isn't it."

Sora, not getting the reference, just replied, "Excuse me", as a more confused look crossed his face.

Karadex smiled as he explained, "You know. A few cards short of a deck, a few pennies short of a dollar, the elevator doesn't quite go to the top floor."

Sora just shrugged his shoulders, not understanding.

Karadex quickly responded by making a hand motion as if knocking on a door and...KNOCK! KNOCK! He made a noise extremely similar to a door knocking, and then said, "Hellloooooo! You know, the lights are on, but I don't think anyone's home."

Sora, growing impatient and slightly irritated, asserted, "Alright, enough," and Karadex, sensing it in his voice, quickly replied, "Sorry, it's my Tourette's, y'know."

Riku and Kairi were both just trying to not explode with laughter.

Karadex quickly added, "By the way, if you have Tourette's or know someone who does, I'm sorry. It's just a joke; I meant no offence."

Sora, irritated fully at this point, said, "Would you quit it? I'm not laughing; do I look like I'm joking to you."

With that, the smile on Karadex's face seemed to shrink, although it didn't disappear, as Sora's words sunk in.

As Sora, shortly followed by Riku and Kairi, got back into fighting position, Karadex said, "Wow. You're really not gonna trust me, are you? Not even after I saved one of you."

As Karadex began to look right at her, Kairi immediately got out of position out of surprise and responded, "Wha...what?"

Karadex then explained, "You remember. The other day when, I assume, you three arrived here. And I hadn't even been here five minutes." Immediately, Kairi remembered the event:

The three had just snuck into Sid's house, and into his room. Suddenly, Sid came in the room, and noticed Kairi. She then cast 'Stop' on herself to appear like a doll as Sid walked over, and picked her up. With Sora and Riku hiding and unable to really do anything, Sid began to look her over, trying to figure out where she came from. Sid just assumed that Kairi was one of Hannah's dolls, and said he would 'punish the intruder' as he began to walk to his 'workbench'. Suddenly, Sid's hand shook as he shrieked out of pain, and he dropped Kairi. As she was about to hit the ground from what, at her size, was about a 40-foot drop, Kairi suddenly began to slowly float gently to the ground just as the 'Stop' spell wore off, allowing her to duck into the shadows to safety.

"That ... that was you? You saved me," inquired Kairi, in slight disbelief but strangely not surprised and inclined to believe him, and immediately Riku said, "Really? And why would you do something like that?"

Karadex replied, "Good question, but can you explain it any other way?" There was a silence between the four of them as Karadex waited for a response.

When one didn't come, Karadex responded saying, "No guesses? Well, there you go. Besides..."

The smile on Karadex's face seemed to melt away, and a serious and sincere look crossed his face as he continued, saying, "I have a ...'lady friend' (makes the quotation motion with his fingers) that I know I would be crushed if she were... well, crushed."

Sora responded with a scoff, and said, "Now, I know you're lying. You're a Nobody. You don't have a heart; you wouldn't be crushed about anything."

Karadex, still with the sincere and serious look on his face, replied, "Mock me all you want. I know how I used to feel, how I would feel now if I had my heart, and how I hope to feel about Trisi. That's something I'll always remember and something even you can't question." There was another moment of silence as Karadex's words seemed to sink in.

Finally, Kairi started to say something when Sora said, "Are you just gonna keep talking or fight?"

Kairi couldn't believe Sora said that, and even Riku was surprised Sora would say something like that. Despite sensing Sora's seriousness, Karadex began to smile again as he said, "You're just not gonna believe me, are you? Well, then I guess there's nothing else I can say. Can't say I didn't try."

Suddenly, a bright light began to emanate from Karadex's hands. Hoping to make the first move, Riku disappeared, and reappeared above and behind Karadex, ready to strike. Then, just as Riku was about to land a blow, Karadex quickly spun around, with his hand grabbed Riku by the keyblade, and threw Riku back towards Sora and Kairi, all in one fluid motion. As he flipped to recover, Riku wondered how Karadex could stop the keyblade with his bare hand, and, when Riku looked up; he saw how he did it just like Sora and Kairi did. On Karadex's hands were steel gauntlets with clawed fingers, and metal strands that extended up the wrist and twisted around and up his arms to his shoulders; these were his weapons.

Karadex, as he looked at his arms, said, "You know, I've been trying to avoid using these; I'm a joker, not a fighter. Plus, these things are murder on the shoulders, but they get the job done; you gotta use whatca got, right?"

Riku rose to his feet, getting back into fighting stance, and the three braced themselves, readying for the battle ahead.

Karadex then got into his fighting stance as he said, "Alright. Down to business," and then began to speak in an announcer's tone, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, we ask that you please return to your seats as the MAIN EVENT is about to begin! Our Heroes of the Light Realm have cornered Karadex. Will he be overpowered and become the first victim? Or will the 'Joyous Paramour' rise to the occasion and beat the seemingly insurmountable odds? We're about to find out! It's Sora, Riku, and Kairi; the Light Heroes against Missing 'nobody' number IX! Oh, hold on to your seats everyone because things are about to get... heavy."

Quickly acting first, Karadex slammed his fist into the ground, sending a wave of purplish-energy geysers towards the three of them. As they dodged, they noticed the wave was 'chasing' them, but they were just a little faster. As the wave finally ended, Karadex sunk his hand 'underneath' the ground, and pulled up a huge black and purple energy sphere. "I wonder if you remember this, Sora," said Karadex as he threw the ball into the air. At its highest point of ascent, the ball exploded, 'showering' the area with smaller orbs of energy. Sora, Riku, and Kairi did their best to dodge, but all three were hit and knocked down by several surprisingly forceful energy orbs. Karadex smiled as he formed in his hand a blue energy orb that looked similar to a 'Gravity' spell, and began charging at them. Kairi was the first to her feet, and looked up to see Karadex running right at her. Not sure how to react, Kairi tightly gripped her rod, and braced herself for impact, but then she noticed the look on Karadex's face: he looked almost surprised that she was the one he was running at. Mid-stride, Karadex let out a frustrated grunt, and jumped surprisingly high over Kairi as he shot the energy sphere at Riku and Sora. Sora didn't see the attack coming until it was too late, and was hit and propelled backwards by the impact, but Riku managed to 'teleport' away in time. Karadex, who seemed to be hovering in mid-air, noticed Riku disappear, and began to look for him when Riku appeared right beside him and began to attack. Over and over, Riku repeatedly delivered vicious blows to Karadex, who managed to get his guard up just in time to block. Seeing Riku struggling to get a good hit in, Sora ignored the pain in his chest, jumped to his feet, quickly performed a Strike Raid, hurling his keyblade and slamming Karadex in the back. Karadex immediately dropped his guard, reacting to the pain from Sora's attack, and Riku, taking advantage, hit him point-blank with a Dark Fireball, sending Karadex spiraling to the ground; Karadex hit the ground with a sick thud, and continued to skid a little distance.

Pressing the advantage, Sora and Riku began to charge at Karadex as Kairi's ring and the crystal orb on the tip of her rod began to shine from her beginning to gather enough magic 'power' to perform a powerful spell.

As Karadex began to rise to his feet, he saw Sora and Riku coming at him fast, held out one hand towards them, and said, "Release."

Immediately, Sora and Riku began to float helplessly in mid-air as if they were in water.

"Wha...what? How are we..." inquired Sora, and Riku added, directing it at Karadex, "What did you do to us?"

Karadex stood up, and hovered to them as he said, "It's a 'Gravity' thing; there's enough to keep you on this world, but not enough to keep you on the ground. I just made you a little less heavy."

Karadex then reverted to an attendant's voice as he grabbed both of them by the shirt and said, "Welcome. This is your elevator. First floor men's apparel, second floor sporting goods. Going up!" With that, Karadex threw both of them straight 

up into the air.

Sora and Riku shot straight up to their surprise, and, at the peak their ascent, began to float in mid-air again.

"Riku... what just happened," asked Sora, as he tried to move his stuck body, and Riku replied, "Didn't you hear him? He must control gravity."

Karadex popped his knuckles as he said, "All passengers, please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times. It's going to be a bumpy ride," and shot up into the air with impressive force.

Seeing him coming, Riku warned, "Here he comes," and, upon reaching them, Karadex hit them both with uppercuts so strong that they began to rapidly back flip in place.

A smile crossed Karadex's face as he stopped them from moving and started to pummel them with heavy punches, knocking the wind out of them with each shot. Finally, Kairi had gathered enough 'magic' but she couldn't use her attack without hitting Sora, Riku, or both. After his frenzy of shots, Karadex grabbed and threw them back to the ground.

Thinking quickly, Sora pushed through the pain that racked his body and called out, "Defend," casting the 'Protect' spell and somewhat cushioning he and Riku's impact with the ground.

Seeing them both land, Karadex formed another 'Gravity' orb and back flipped into a headfirst dive right for Riku and Sora; Sora collapsed to his knees in pain after landing, and Riku, who could barely hold himself up, looked up and saw Karadex barreling towards them as he shot the 'Gravity' orb at them.

"Thunder," yelled out Kairi, casting the 'Thunder' spell, as she shot a bolt of lightning out of her rod and destroying the 'Gravity' orb.

Karadex, dodging the lightning bolt, pulled up from his flight, and his momentum began to carry him towards the fence. Karadex quickly dug his hand into the ground, stopping himself, and, using his own arm as an anchor, spun back towards them as he formed a 'Gravity' orb in his free hand.

Just as he landed, Karadex shot the orb at Riku and Sora, and Riku retaliated with a Dark Fireball, stopping the attack, but the force of impact still knocked Riku backward; fortunately, Sora was able to stop Riku before he flew too far backward.

As they tried to regroup, Karadex shook his right arm as he said, "Alright, let's press the issue," and then held it towards Sora and Riku, palm in their direction, as he began to hold his right forearm with his left hand.

He then began to rapidly shoot smaller but seemingly more powerful energy orbs. Sora and Riku quickly retaliated with a Dark Cannon, shooting waves of Dark Fireballs at Karadex, but Karadex's energy attacks were stronger with several of Sora 

and Riku's needed to offset just one of his. Kairi immediately noticed, and quickly raised her crystal rod to the sky as she said forcefully, "Comet, descend!"

Karadex, seeing Sora and Riku struggling to keep up their attack and his own getting closer to hitting with each attack, intensified his own as he said in his announcer's voice, "Uh-oh. It looks like Missing no. IX has the Light Heroes on the ropes. Doesn't look like it will take long now."

Suddenly, Karadex stopped as a confused and slightly worried look crossed his face; he could feel that something was wrong. Finally, he looked up and saw the cause: an enormous rock covered in blue flames was falling right over him.

Karadex's smile returned as he said, "Not today," and held up both hands toward it, somehow stopping it right in mid-air.

"No way," said Sora and Kairi simultaneously, and Riku said at the same time, "You've gotta be kidding me."

Karadex chuckled, and said, "What is this? Is this a comet? Excellent! That is awesome!! But, I don't think it's for me. I appreciate the thought though; here, you can have it back."

He then took a small step forward and 'tossed' the comet into the air. The comet went up in a very steep angle before curving back toward the ground.

"Kairi, look out, " shouted both Sora and Riku, causing Kairi to look up, and see the comet coming right for her. Kairi raised her rod and prepared for impact, her mind racing as she frantically searched for a spell she could use; suddenly, the comet took a fortunate but unbelievable turn, impacting the ground a few yards from Kairi and kicking up a cloud of dust. Kairi quickly turned her attention back to the fight, seeing Sora looking at her and Riku already running toward Karadex, and then she noticed Karadex: his right arm was stretched out to the side, and he had a very concerned look on his face. Kairi's surprise grew on her face as she realized what happened: Karadex must have...

Just then, Riku came falling down, blade-first, right on the top of Karadex, stabbing him, and repeated it twice before Karadex deflected him into the air. Before Karadex could follow up, Sora took aim and performed Ragnarok, shooting multiple rays at him. Karadex saw them too late, and took every hit, knocking him backward almost to the fence before he hit the ground. Riku landed safely just as Karadex struggled to stand. It was visually clear that Karadex didn't have much left; his breathing was heavy and his face was wore as he seemed barely able to keep himself standing.

Through his pain and fatigue, Karadex managed to smile, shocking Sora, Riku, and Kairi, as he said, "Looks like I've got no choice."

He then raised both arms to the sides his palms outward; then, in each hand, he formed a larger-than-normal 'Gravity' orb as he said in his announcer voice, "Oh no, he can't be... Yes, he is. He's going to use it."

Knowing something bad was happening, as Karadex began to levitate high into the air, Kairi began to attack, shooting him with several 'Blizzard' spells and a 'Thunder' spell, but to no avail as each one seemed to deflect away from him.

After his ascent, Karadex raised both his arms over head, combining the 'Gravity' orbs into one massive sphere, and said still in his announcer voice, "That's right. Missing no. IX is going to bring down the sky with his Ultimate Attack!"

Immediately, Sora and Kairi huddled next to Riku, crossed their weapons as they raised them toward Karadex, and said in unison, "Defend," casting a 'Reflect' spell around all three of them.

Just as the three's shield was up, a massive amount of energy rays shot from Karadex's massive sphere as if they were rounds from a Gatling gun, and began to bombard Sora and Kairi's shield; with each shot, the shield shook and was on the verge of breaking as Sora and Kairi tried to stand their ground.

Karadex, with a smile still on his face, said to himself, "Now, to finish," and held the sphere higher in the air, causing an energy beam to shoot from the sphere into the shield.

The shield began to crack like glass under the pressure of the beam although Sora and Kairi tried to resist, and finally the shield broke, allowing the beam to hit the three of them and send them backward, the farthest of who was Kairi. Karadex dispersed the massive sphere, and fly after them, hoping to continue the pressure and possibly end the fight. Kairi slowly lifted herself to her knees, trying to fight through the pain, when she felt a presence very close to her, and looked up only to see Karadex standing in front of her, holding a normal-size 'Gravity' sphere to her head. Kairi immediately froze in place, scared of what he would do, and then gripped her rod tight when the sphere began to shake. As time began to slowly pass and the sphere continued to shake but not propel forward, Kairi began to nervously wonder why, and her eyes wandered up where she noticed that the sphere wasn't shaking from power, but because Karadex himself shaking. Kairi looked up further and saw Karadex's face: a very pained and conflicted look was on his face; Karadex seemed like he didn't want to do it.

Kairi continued to look at him when she saw him mouth the words, "I...I can't."

Karadex dropped his head and closed his eyes as he said to himself, "I can't do it. I won't"

His smile returned to his face as he said, "Sorry about being so rude. Trisi hates when I do that."

He then spun around away from Kairi, and shot the 'Gravity' sphere at Sora and Riku, kicking up a cloud of dust upon impact. When the dust settled, Sora and Riku were completely gone, causing Karadex to walk forward a bit as he said, "I know I didn't hit them that hard. Where'd they go?" Karadex stopped and looked as silence began to surround him...

"You ready, Riku," asked Sora from seemingly nowhere, and Riku replied from an equally mysterious location, "Just try to keep up, Sora."

Then, quicker than Karadex could react, Sora and Riku appeared on either side of him, Sora's keyblade stretched in front of himself, Riku's stretched out to his side, both facing away from Karadex and each other . Suddenly, Karadex let out a pained grunt, and began to hold his chest as he began to slump forward from pain and fatigue; Sora and Riku had risen up from 

the tall grass, and hit him with a combination Cross Slash-Sonic Blade. Sora and Riku slowly turned slightly toward each other, preparing for another strike, and then repeated the combination several times, slashing Karadex viciously, before both appearing next to each other in front of him. Karadex, desperately trying to remain standing, braced himself as he saw Sora and Riku prepared for another strike, and Sora and Riku performed the combination one more time, giving Karadex one more slash and putting them right in front of Kairi; Both turned around to face Karadex and got back in fighting position, but Karadex seemed frozen with his back to them until he began to choke.

Karadex's smile incredibly returned to his face as he stopped coughing and weakly said, "Looks like the joke's... on me." With that, his gauntlets disappeared in a flash of light, and Karadex collapsed to the ground, defeated.

Sora slightly turned to Kairi and asked, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

Kairi, now to her feet, with a shocked look on her face, could only shake her head 'No' as she continued to stare at the fallen Karadex, her mind racing over what had just happened and the whole trip: Karadex had saved her not once but twice, one of those times from herself; he avoided hurting her the whole fight; then, when he had her dead-to-rights, he spared her and then apologized for threatening her. Kairi knew she hadn't encountered many nobodies, but she knew that that hadn't happened before. Kairi was completely convinced now, and there was no doubt in her mind that these 'nobodies' were telling the truth and were different than Organization XIII. She then almost broke down and cried when she realized that they may have 'killed' an innocent man, someone's friend, someone's loved one.

"Think we got him," asked Riku, causing Sora to turn back to face Karadex, and Sora replied, "Only one way to make sure," causing Kairi's stomach to turn and chest to ache.

Suddenly, as Sora was about to move toward him and as Kairi was about to say something, a familiar voice called from seemingly nowhere, "Stay away from him!"

Then, large (large to them, but not in the world) trees sprouted out of the ground, and surrounded Karadex so that he couldn't be seen through them. Before Sora or the other two could react, Sid screamed in horror ran into house, signifying the plan had worked.

Sora continued to stare at the trees, when Kairi called out of him, "Sora, we have to go."

Riku then added, "Yeah, we have to help Woody and Buzz get to Andy's before they leave."

Sora was silent for a moment, and then turned back to them, and said, "Yeah, you're right."

With that, Sora, Riku, and Kairi ran to help out; Kairi, although very concerned about Karadex, continued with Sora and Riku, not knowing how to talk to them about her concerns (and fears).

"Man, am I glad to see you," said Karadex as Trixis emerged from her independent shadow, and quickly flipped her hood off, revealing her face as she raced over and kneeled next to him.

Trixis, concern heavy in her voice and on her face, said, "Kar, you're hurt; it's bad too. What...what can I do," as she helped him roll onto his back, and began to hold his upper body in her arms, cradling his head gently.

Karadex replied, "Don't worry; it's not like I'm dying ... oh ... wait," and flashed Trixis a smile; he always joked with her when he was hurt so she wouldn't worry too much and normally she would, at least, smile, but not this time.

Seeing her extreme concern, Karadex reached with the hand closest to her, the hand that he wore 'her' ring on, and lightly held her locket in the palm, as he tried to comfort her; looking into her eyes, he said, "Come on, Trisi; you have to be strong for both of us now, at least for a little while anyway. Another thing, I know it's hard, but could you... smile for me before I go."

Trixis lifted the hand not supporting his head, and locked fingers with his hand that was holding her locket, trapping it within their hold, as she replied to him, "I'll try."

She then looked deep in Karadex's eyes, the hazel eyes she loved so much, and began to race through her memories shared with him, every conversation, every time he made her laugh, every special moment, every happy memory, remembering how he makes her feeling, forcing herself to replicate it and partly hoping to cause a physical reaction. Then, as she remembered the feelings she has for him and seeing him in pain, Trixis had a reaction that she'd never had before as a nobody: her face tightened, two small beads of water formed in the corners of her eyes, and two tears rolled her cheeks.

Karadex's smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with the look of concern as he solemnly asked, "Trisi, when did you re-learn how to cry?"

Trixis, in the shaky and choked-up voice familiar with those talking through tears, replied, "Just now."

Karadex's face took on a regretful look, and he said, "I'm sorry. I...I never wanted to..."

Trixis stopped as she gave him a smile, and said, "No, Kar. You never have, and you never will."

Karadex seemed to relax with this, and looked as if he were daydreaming as he said, "You know, I probably don't say this enough, but..."

He then looked back at her as she replied, "But what? What do you not say enough,' and he said with a smile on his face, "I love you."

Trixis' smile grew wider as she responded, "I love you, too."

Sensing another presence, Karadex said, seemingly into nothing, "Here, at last. It's about time," and then turned back to Trixis, saying, "My ride is here. Better let me go."

Trixis, also sensing it, kissed Karadex on the forehead, as she always does before they separate for a time, lightly placed him on the ground, and backed up a little although she didn't rise to her feet. Then, from out of an independent shadow, a floor with six sides, four short and two long, and purple lining appeared underneath Karadex, so that he was lying down on it; six walls that were slightly taller than Karadex when he was lying down and had the same lining as the floor, appeared on the sides right after. Finally, a separate 'sheet' with the same lining on the bottom and Karadex's symbol on the top in the middle appeared and leaned again the six-sided, black-steel box Karadex was now inside, acting as its 'lid'.

Karadex, realizing what was happening, solemnly said, "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen; you've been a wonderful audience. Drive home safely and good night."

With that, the lid slid up the side of the 'box' to the top and into place, and slammed shut, completely sealing Karadex and every part of him inside; This completed Karadex's black-steel 'coffin', Xelta's own creation used to house one of them and keep them from 'breaking apart' while they recuperated. Trixis and Karadex from inside his coffin then 'sunk' into the still-active independent shadow as tears began to flow freely from Trixis' eyes and the trees around them withered away. With both of them 'inside', the shadow then flew along the ground and disappeared in a small puff of black smoke.

_**A/N: There's chapter 4. Chapter 5 is coming very soon. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Next time, we're going star-gazing. Please R&R, and I hope you stay with me.**_


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